Reading, Writing, and Reflectinghttps://apurvadesai.com
Apurva Desai's musings and observationsThu, 11 Jan 2018 00:23:06 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://s2.wp.com/i/buttonw-com.pngReading, Writing, and Reflectinghttps://apurvadesai.com
True Innovation by Grandmaster Flash and the Wright Brothershttps://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/12/true-innovation-by-grandmaster-flash-and-the-wright-brothers/
https://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/12/true-innovation-by-grandmaster-flash-and-the-wright-brothers/#respondSun, 12 Mar 2017 17:27:36 +0000http://apurvadesai.com/?p=2819]]>Working in Silicon Valley for nearly two decades, I’m frequently exposed to the concept of innovation. Sometimes even overexposed to the point of hype. But what I’ve learned over the years is that innovation isn’t limited to technology companies, driven by a secret algorithm or framework yielding the next game changing software or hardware product. Rather, innovation is all around us, perhaps equally generated by accident, or by trial and error, as it is from an organized innovation initiative. It’s evident in all aspects of my daily life, from cooking, to music, to travel, and theater as well as technology and is globally true. What I’ve observed though is that the universal factors in the entrepreneurial attitude that creates such innovation are curiosity and perseverance. Curiosity to investigate multiple options and approaches and the perseverance to keep going when those initial options keep failing and conventional wisdom all around you is saying it won’t work.

As I reflect in my own diverse and seemingly unrelated interests just in the last two months, such innovative spirit is very evident. Two examples in particular reinforced this to me.

Wright Brothers: I recently finished the excellent biography of the Wright Brothers by David McCullough. The Wright Brothers, from my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, famously are the fathers of flight; credited with the first successful flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Neither Wilbur or Orville Wright were scientifically trained. As experienced bicycle makers and printing press handlers, they leveraged their knowledge of machinery and motors and let their curiosity roam to apply this knowledge to air travel. Fascinated with how birds could fly, they studied the wing and force dynamics of bird flight closely. They even built a homemade wind tunnel to capture data points to support more efficient wing construction. They were competing against more heavily funded efforts led by leading scientists at the time; from Samuel Langley of the Smithsonian Museum and even the noted inventor of the telephone Alexander Bell Graham in the race for flight. They were truly the underdog in this race. With odds against them, they persevered even after a major crash that killed colleague Thomas Selfridge and led to extensive injuries to Orville. Ultimately, their focus on pilot control rather than building powerful engines was their differentiated path to success. Amidst major skepticism from the US scientific community and the US military, the Wright Brothers were forced to build initial commercial partnerships and support outside of the US in France to legitimize their technology. They used their natural curiosity and perseverance to get to one of the most important technological inventions in history.

Grandmaster Flash- I recently watched the fantastic Netflix Originals documentary Hip Hop Evolution. Going back to the origins of Rap in the Bronx, New York, they chronicled Hip Hop’s history from Kool Herc’s parties progressing through the contributions from DJ Hollywood, Mellie Mel, The Furious Five, The Sugarhill Gang, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, NWA and others. But what stood out to me throughout this history is the innovation and pure wizardry of Grandmaster Flash. The DJ’s convention at the time was to focus only on the tone arm of the record player; never to touch the vinyl of the record. DJ’s believed records would get ruined if touched. However, using the tone arm led to sloppy transitions when mixing songs but this was reluctantly accepted by the industry. Flash challenged this, he touched the vinyl through a rigorous experimentation process; this lead to finding the exact break of the beat leading to seamless transitions when spinning. Fab 5 Freddy describes Flash’s experimentation as a rigorous R&D process, using what Silicon Valley engineers would call continuous A-B testing. Grandmaster Flash was truly a scientist; in fact, if he was in Silicon Valley in the 80’s rather than the Bronx; I’m sure he would have been a major contributor in building revolutionary computers and hardware. Such an incredible talent driven by innate curiosity. From an early age, he was fascinated by spinning things; looking at spinning dryers and bicycle wheels which evolved into optimizing spinning records. His pure perseverance led him to build his own sound system out of spare and discarded parts in the Bronx. Curiosity, drive and perseverance led Grandmaster Flash to be perhaps the most important pioneer of Hip Hop.

More examples of such innovation surround recent entertainment choices. I recently saw Hamilton in Chicago, of course, the now legendary Broadway musical. To tell the story of the American revolution through modern day Rap and Hip Hop music and language is as contrary to convention as you can imagine. The amount of times Lin-Manuel Miranda would have heard people scoff at such a concept has to be impossible to count. Another Netflix Original series called the Chef’s Table highlights in each episode how world class chefs have created the world’s most brilliant restaurants. One episode described how Indian chef Gaggan Anand built one of Asia’s best restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Through deep iterative experimentation, he has taken Indian cooking to its core roots and turned that into a fine dining experience. True entrepreneurship and innovation in cooking and theatre; as innovative as the next social media product or smart phone device.

In my opinion, the best television series of my lifetime is The West Wing with unparalleled, innovative writing by Aaron Sorkin. In Season 2 Episode 9 (titled Galileo), for political reasons, President Bartlett begrudgingly has to attend a performance of the Reykjavik Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. A classical music connoisseur, President Bartlett is certain that the recently completed modern score penned by the Icelandic composer can’t stand up to the classics he knows so well. Bartlett though thoroughly enjoys the concert, and is blown away by the quality of the modern piece. He begins to reflect on the journey of the little-known composer and how he himself could be so wrong. He states:

“I really didn’t think I could be surprised by music anymore. I thought about all the times this guy must’ve heard that his music was no good.”

Perseverance leads the innovator to continue their quest to change the minds of even the most brilliant of skeptics such as President Bartlett and their innate curiosity led them to even have the ingredients to build a solution to take to the world. The essence of innovation and the entrepreneurs who create it.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/12/true-innovation-by-grandmaster-flash-and-the-wright-brothers/feed/0Apurva DesaiThe Magical Sounds of Indiahttps://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/05/the-magical-sounds-of-india/
https://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/05/the-magical-sounds-of-india/#respondSun, 05 Mar 2017 19:52:10 +0000http://apurvadesai.com/?p=2792]]>I’ve been to India 8 times in first 40+ years of life and 8 times in last 3 years now that I have a job that requires frequent travel to India. In all of those trips and now reinforced more than ever, it is the sound of India which is most embedded in my mind whether the 1980’s in Mumbai or 2016 in Hyderabad (picture from below – December 2016).

To me, India is:

The distinct honking of rickshaws, trucks cars and now SUVs

Elevators beeping

Birds chirping

People talking, yelling or arguing

Mosque calls to prayer

Shuffling in the streets

Jack-hammering construction noise

Accelerating motorcycle engines

Joyful sounds of children laughing and playing

Bhajans emenating from a Hindu temple

Vendors yelling and selling tea, onions, or peanuts with their distinct carrying voice

Whistles from traffic cops

Air horn honks from buses

Pounding rain

Constant doorbells with friends, acquaintances, and household help coming in and out.

Bollywood songs blaring from a smal restaurant

Car engine backfiring

A Hindu priest reciting prayers while barely taking a breath

India is the loudest place I’ve ever been, but those sounds– magic!

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2017/03/05/the-magical-sounds-of-india/feed/0Apurva Desai15585473_10154736007100420_2765006293402910720_n.jpgWould we want this future Internet of Things Linkedin use case?https://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/23/would-we-want-this-future-internet-of-things-linkedin-use-case/
https://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/23/would-we-want-this-future-internet-of-things-linkedin-use-case/#commentsMon, 24 Mar 2014 05:47:57 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2670]]>Terms like Wearable Technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) have forced itself into the mainstream. In this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, IoT was all the rage. Connected toothbrushes, home audio systems and thermostats were showcased. Early adopters have embraced products like Google Glass, and there is even now a backlash in some places against the use of Google Glass.

As I think about uses for such devices, particularly a product like Google Glass or a Samsung smart watch, it makes me think of a possible use case from my own experience, and whether we’d really want such a use case.

A few years back, I had a job that I commuted to in San Francisco. Living about 15 miles away, I would take public transportation on the Caltrain to the last stop in SF and then walk about 25 minutes one way to my office. Typically taking the same train each day at the same time, I would always be making my walk to the office from 8:00 AM to 8:30 AM. I would take the same route each day and would pass hundreds of pedestrian commuters walking the other direction. I would often see the same people passing me each day, as they most likely were taking a commuter bus that arrived at the stop at the same time each day but further north, and they would be walking south to their particular office. One particular guy, I’d pass at the exact same spot each time and over time, we’d see each other, give eye contact, and do a solid head nod. This become such a clear part of the commuting routine, that one day when I passed him ten minutes later than normal, we looked at each other with puzzled looks on our face. He either missed his bus and caught the next one or his bus was delayed, but something was clearly amiss. But the routine always held true- no words ever spoken, no smiles, no decrease in our walking pace, but without fail, the acknowledgement head nod.

I eventually changed jobs and had a new commute that wasn’t in the city. I never spoke to that guy, never found out who he was. Now, when I think of Google Glass and the applications that may emerge from such products, I can envision some sort of futuristic identification notification. As you walk by a person also wearing such device, would a notification pop up saying the person’s name, occupation, and nationality? Perhaps their Linkedin profile would show up? As someone who is a frequent professional networker, if that guy was in a similar field as I, would I want the opportunity to leverage our common commute as a networking opportunity? Now, you can take this to more nefarious Big Brother levels which would certainly be a concern, but this use case will be focused on an opt in Linkedin application and notification. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily need a wearable device to make it happen, simple smartphones could do the same thing. But oftentimes a phone is in a pocket or if you are in a cold city, you want to have your hands warmed in a pocket and not have your hands, even gloved ones, exposed to the elements

As I ask my self would I opt-in to such an IoT application, I think back to my commuting example. As a whole, I definitely wouldn’t want my identification notification to pop up for all commuters. A minimum level of privacy I would need. And even across Linkedin as a whole, I wouldn’t want an identity notification to show up for all Linkedin users. If we were meant to network, it could certainly happen the old fashioned way, through introductions from friends of friends and contacts of contacts. Now, the one case I could see myself opting in to, would be for specialized groups that I belong to. For example, I’d be open to having a notification to other alumni of Indiana University as I pass by that I went to the same university as that person. Possibly even for sports team, if I pass a fan of the Cincinnati Reds, I may want to acknowledge that as I pass by. Particularly knowing that there aren’t many Cincinnati fans in San Francisco, it’s always nice to acknowledge the few common fans you do meet.

It’s an interesting dilemma and I certainly believe this is the way things are headed. With Linked and Facebook for example, user identification and interests and preferences may be available in an instant, right in front of your eyes through a Google Glass product whether you like it or not. Now, I do believe it will start as opt-in, but as we’ve seen with the way these products evolve, privacy norms start to decline and they may become a given and possibly a default setting. I hope it doesn’t get to that point, and I’ll have to really think what I’d tolerate, but I do believe I’d embrace certain niche use cases. I give this three years before we see the first examples of this use case!

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/23/would-we-want-this-future-internet-of-things-linkedin-use-case/feed/1Apurva DesaiA School in the Cloud among the mangrove trees: Sugata Mitra opens his first independent learning lab in Indiahttps://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/16/a-school-in-the-cloud-among-the-mangrove-trees-sugata-mitra-opens-his-first-independent-learning-lab-in-india/
https://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/16/a-school-in-the-cloud-among-the-mangrove-trees-sugata-mitra-opens-his-first-independent-learning-lab-in-india/#respondMon, 17 Mar 2014 06:35:17 +0000http://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/16/a-school-in-the-cloud-among-the-mangrove-trees-sugata-mitra-opens-his-first-independent-learning-lab-in-india/TED Blog: Students at the School in the Cloud in Korakati, India, investigate the questions that matter to them online, with the assistance of a teacher via the Granny Cloud. By Natasha Scripture “Early one morning last February, a man turned up on my doorstep who had travelled through the night to…]]>

I’ve been fascinated by Sugata Mitra’s self-direct learning methods, which I wrote about here http://bit.ly/OuXgcd and here http://bit.ly/1ddR9Pu. Now, he’s opened his first learning lab in India. More below

Students at the School in the Cloud in Korakati, India, investigate the questions that matter to them online, with the assistance of a teacher via the Granny Cloud.

By Natasha Scripture

“Early one morning last February, a man turned up on my doorstep who had travelled through the night to get there,” said Sugata Mitra, the education reformer who received the 2013 TED Prize. “This schoolteacher wanted to do something positive for his village, which had no electricity, health care or primary education … It was just the kind of place I was looking for.”

Korakati is a remote village in one of the poorest parts of India, in the middle of a mangrove swamp. It’s hardly the place that most people would seek out to try to build a high-tech learning lab. But then again, Sugata Mitra is not most people. [ted_talkteaser id=1678]At TED2013, Mitra shared his long-standing…

One of the most popular posts I’ve written for this blog was about my experience with the Indian Head Wiggle, (or Shake, or Bobble- many names for that most Indian of Indian gestures) inspired by an analysis of the wiggle in the fantastic book Shantaram. That post for many years was a cited reference in Wikipedia for the Indian Head Wiggle. I even was interviewed on Canadian radio for my so called expert perspective on the Indian Head Wiggle. Needless, to say, this gesture and topic has become important to me and something that I’ll pay attention to as I hear about in the media.

Given that, it was hard to miss the viral video released last week explaining the Head Wiggle. Within a week, the video had a million plus of views on You Tube and other video platforms. I saw it show up on my Facebook feed multiple times and had a few people send links directly to me who knew about my original post.

A humorous, light post that exaggerates the gesture and the examples, but one that seems to have resonated with the masses. I may have to meet this guy and share Head Shake stories.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2014/03/01/the-indian-head-wiggle-explained/feed/0Apurva DesaiHow to Discover, Read, and Organize Web Content on the Wild, Wild Internethttps://apurvadesai.com/2013/11/30/how-to-discover-read-and-organize-web-content-on-the-wild-wild-internet/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/11/30/how-to-discover-read-and-organize-web-content-on-the-wild-wild-internet/#respondSun, 01 Dec 2013 02:13:13 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2631]]>As we all know, the Internet is a treasure trove of information- some useful, often useless; frequently educational, unfortunately, repeatedly ignorant. Pick your favorite pair of opposite meaning adjectives, you can apply it to the information on the Internet.

But the good, educational, information is indeed abundant. It’s overflowing and the trick is how to filter it, find it, and make time to read it and avoid the useless information. My approach has evolved, with a current go to model consisting of multiple web and mobile social media and news applications coupled with multi-platform productivity and storage tools. Here’s how it works.

1. Twitter- Find the Best Articles and Content

I’ve found that there is no better way for me to find relevant, informative, educational, must read articles and thoughts than Twitter. I follow thought leaders in areas I’m interested in such as Entrepreneurship, Technology, Foreign Affairs, Sports, and Education. These thought leaders are often journalists, bloggers, CEOs, executives, or the Twitter accounts of reputed web sites and periodicals I read such as Techcrunch, ESPN, Mashable, Advertising Age, Pew Research, etc.

By focusing my discovery on thought leaders, their reputation creates my first level of filtering. Doing quick scans of tweets, I use my own judgment as the second level of filtering. I usually do this through a mobile usage model; checking Twitter a few times a day on my Iphone.

2. Instapaper- Reading Articles Later

Now, there are way more interesting articles and links that I’d want to open and look at than what I have the time to read during a particular Twitter time moment. That’s when I use Instapaper, an app that costs $3.99 in the Appstore. Through an API, Instapaper is integrated into the Twitter mobile app. Whenever I open an article on Twitter on the mobile app or web, I’ll tag an article or Link to Read Later, which saves it on the Instapaper platform.

Then usually on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings, I’ll do a batch reading of my tagged Twitter articles from the Instapaper app. I’ll usually be reading the articles on my Ipad Instapaper app.

3 Evernote- Organizing and Saving Articles

Once I open an article in Instapaper, the ones that I feel are especially relevant that I would want to basically keep forever, I save to Evernote. Evernote is a productivity tool where I can create notebooks for specific topics, and then store web articles, documents and my own notes and to do lists in that particular notebook. Evernote also is a synced multi platform device, such that when I save an article to my Evernote desktop app, it automatically syncs the notebook so that I can access that article on my iPhone or IPad.

Evernote is a free app which has become my productivity tool of choice for content; storage, organization, categorization, to do lists.

Now, I’m testing other methods and products such as Quora, Quibb, News.me, and Pocket as supplements to this basic workflow, but the fundamental process is about Twitter, Instapaper, and Evernote.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/11/30/how-to-discover-read-and-organize-web-content-on-the-wild-wild-internet/feed/0Apurva DesaiTwitter 2arrowInstaperarrowEvernoteTwitter 2InstaperEvernoteAziz Ansari and the evolution of Indian Americans in American societyhttps://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/07/aziz-ansari-and-the-evolution-of-indian-americans-in-american-society/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/07/aziz-ansari-and-the-evolution-of-indian-americans-in-american-society/#commentsMon, 07 Oct 2013 14:00:30 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2576]]>The other night, I was walking in downtown San Francisco after a work event near two other pedestrians, two men probably in their mid twenty’s. I could overhear parts of their conversation when one of them said, “I hate technology. I forwarded the email to her, and then she posted it on …….”. It seemed to be a discussion about singles, dating, and technology and the first thing I thought about was, of course, Aziz Ansari!

On September 7, 2013, I attended a comedy show of acclaimed comedian and Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari at the Victoria Theater in Dayton, Ohio. The evening started out with a funny bit where Ansari allows the audience to take a picture of him on stage, a practice that had just previously been announced as prohibited. Ansari wondered why fans were so eager for a picture that would inevitably be blurry and sure enough here’s my requisite blurred photo.

Aziz Ansari’s Comedy

Ansari then began his act and the majority of his comedy was about dating and relationships in today’s era of smartphones and texting. Ansari emphasizes the awkwardness and difficulty of dating in modern life, drawing upon some of his own experiences, those of his friends and even through reading an audience member’s texts on her phone. The audience, made up of primarily single young adults, truly responded to the act and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Even long time married audience members like myself could enjoy the social commentary of how texting changes the ebb and flow of relationships, changes the power dynamic, and creates new uncertainties and anxiety in the dating process.

In this article, Ansari talks about his fascination of how modern technology fits in today’s world of romance.

I’m super-fascinated by how texting and modern technology have made the early stages of our romantic interactions frustrating—that roller coaster of emotions you go through when you text some girl you are into, asking about dinner. You don’t hear back for hours, and you are going crazy . Then you look on Instagram, and she’s, like, posting a photo of her dog and you’re like, What the f*#!? Why are you Instagramming photos of your puppy, you rude piece of s*#!? Respond to my text! I started talking about stuff like that and was stunned by how much it seemed to resonate—such a specific, modern conundrum that has become almost universal. In a few hours of no texting, you can go from elation at meeting someone to total horror and anger.

The untitled book, which is expected to be published in September 2015, “will provide an investigation into what Ansari argues is an entirely new era for singles, in which the basic issues facing a single person — whom we meet, how we meet them, and what happens next — have been radically altered by new technologies.”

At first glance, it feels quite surprising that a comedian like Ansari would be able to credibly write such a social commentary about dating. But when you peel back the onion, it isn’t that surprising for an intelligent, socially curious comedian to be able to do so. As a comedian, Ansari is constantly observing and finding humor in the the human condition. And being single in New York, he’s likely experienced the trials and tribulations of the dating game in perhaps the most competitive and challenging place in the country to build relationships. As Scott Moyers from Penguin Press says,

So much of Aziz Ansari’s brilliant humor comes from grasping the hidden forces that govern our everyday lives. I’m delighted but not surprised that he is the one who is going to make sense of the strange new world that singles have to navigate today.”

Now, what I really find surprising about this book and the willingness of both the public and publisher to have Ansari serve as an expert on dating in the decade of the twenty tens is not that he is a comedian, but that he is an Indian American.

Aziz Ansari’s Indian American Background

Ansari was born in 1983 in Columbia, South Carolina to immigrant professional parents from the state of Tamil Nadu in India. South Carolina will never be thought of as a hotbed for Indian Americans, which is evidenced by the 2010 Census which shows that in Columbia, there were 878 Indians, or 0.7% of the total city population. And undoubtedly, during his teenage years when Ansari was growing up there, the Indian population would have been even lower. Admittedly, I haven’t read in any interview any mention of Ansari’s dating life in South Carolina, but given that level of diversity, it’s unlikely that any Indian American, even a funny, handsome one, would have been in dating demand. Furthermore, the cultural values of Indian parents that generally frown upon dating and the social status of the typical academic minded 2nd generation Indian teenage child to immigrant parents, would generally preclude an Indian from being part of the popular crowd in a less diverse community.

Given that background, it does feel like an unexpected and remarkable development that an Indian American, raised in South Carolina, will be writing a credible book about broad, mainstream dating and relationships applicable to all races, ethnicities, and ages in the US in today’s era. Given his celebrity status, the book certainly will have a media blitz preceding its release, consisting of interviews on programs and outlets like the Today show, Extra, CNN and all of the other usual media suspects and could cement Ansari as a spokesperson for dating in the twenty tens.

Of course, without the celebrity comedian status, it’s not clear if another young Indian American could garner visibility as a dating and relationship commentator for all Americans today. But there are more and more cases today where you see Indian Americans in the public eye who weren’t as famous as Ansari was before they became notable in their particular public field. Examples such as Sanjay Gupta as a health care expert on CNN, here in the Bay Area with Raj Mathai as a local news and sports anchor, actors on mainstream sitcoms such as Mindy Kaling and Kal Penn, and authors and journalists such as Checklist Manifesto author Atul Gawande. Indian Americans have had notable contributions and been recognized at the top of their field for decades now in fields such as medicine, academia, science, mathematics, and business, but sustained notoriety in public facing fields such as media and entertainment feels like a new phenomenon. And particularly in an area such as social commentary on dating habits for all Americans where Indians wouldn’t be expected to be taken seriously, that is a major shift in the placement of Indian Americans in American society.

National Asian Indian Sammelan- Dayton, Ohio 1993

Ansari’s show was held at the Victoria Theater in downtown Dayton, just a few blocks from the Crowne Plaza Hotel of Dayton. Twenty years ago in 1993, I was part of the organizing committee of a national conference for young Indian Americans held at that very Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The National Asian Indian Sammelan, 1993, held in Dayton, Ohio was a conference for young Asian Indian American adults, mostly age 18-30, exploring professional, personal, and life issues that this coming of age group was beginning to face. Generally, the audience of this conference was second generation Americans, whose parents had immigrated to the US in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This group was often the first set of young Asian Indian Americans who had been born and raised in the US, were recent high school or college graduates, and were beginning to face critical decisions such as career choice and marriage options. The specific objectives of the conference centered around the following topics within the South Asian Diaspora.

Acculturation and Assimilation issues

Career Choice

Political Activism

Marital Choices

Gender Equality

As I think back to that conference and the unexpected irony of Ansari’s show about dating life being held only blocks away from the conference setting, I naturally assessed the progress over the last 20 years against those objectives. And right in front of me is Case study #1. Ansari, an Indian American from South Carolina, holding a mainstream comedy show in Dayton, Ohio, about dating life in today’s era, while never mentioning being Indian as part of his routine on dating, is remarkable change against those objectives in the last 20 years, particularly around Objective # 1, #2, #3. While some would debate whether Ansari’s dating expertise is one of the desired areas of assimilation, the fact that it could happen is a clear example of acculturation and assimilation, plus evidence of diversity in career choice and path to marital choices. While there is certainly a ways to go, as evidenced by the backlash from a few mis-guided vocal critics on Twitter against the recent Indian- American Miss America winner Nina Davulur as not being American enough to hold such a crown, Ansari’s example is certainly a comforting sign that the mission and objectives of our conference are unfolding 20 years later!

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/07/aziz-ansari-and-the-evolution-of-indian-americans-in-american-society/feed/1Apurva DesaiAzia AnasariMap pictureThe Majestic Cranes and Ships of the Port of Oaklandhttps://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/06/the-majestic-cranes-and-ships-of-the-port-of-oakland/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/06/the-majestic-cranes-and-ships-of-the-port-of-oakland/#respondMon, 07 Oct 2013 06:17:47 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2594]]>Every day on my commute to work, I drive past downtown San Francisco, onto the Bay Bridge, and into the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. Along with the beauty of the San Francisco skyline, the glistening water, the contrast of the old and new Bay Bridge, a must see part of this drive is the shipping cranes of Oakland. I’ve become fascinated with the large cargo ships, the imposing cranes, the aluminum containers that neatly move from ship to truck, and the unexpected innovation and clockwork efficiency of the global and vast shipping and trucking transportation industry.

To get a closer look, I ventured to the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, right smack in the middle of the Port of Oakland. The park has a viewing center to see an operating crane and you can see close up the stacked crates at the port. Here are some photos from my afternoon at the park

A few weeks later, I was fortunate to enjoy a day on the bay to watch the America’s Cup yachting race being held in the San Francisco Bay. Along with some shots of the race yachts and the Bay captured here, I also got some nice photos of cargo ships at the port.

From Gates’ review, he describes the history of the container seen on today’s cargo ships.

For centuries, cargo ships were loaded and unloaded by hand, one crate at a time. Each crate might have a different destination, which made the whole process slow and expensive. In 1956, a trucking magnate named Malcolm McLean had a clever idea: Instead of unloading a trailer’s worth of crates onto a ship, why not put the whole trailer on the ship?

It was the beginning of a revolution in the way goods move around the world. Shipping lines ordered bigger and bigger ships to accommodate the aluminum boxes that soon became the standard container. Port cities from New York to Singapore raced to modernize their facilities to accommodate the larger ships.

By the early 1980s, the transition to the containerized system was essentially complete. Computers were coming into the picture as well. I remember meeting with the leaders of port authorities that wanted to go paperless. They would ask, Are the computer systems reliable? How do they work? Today it seems crazy that a ship would dock and somebody would get off with a piece of paper to show what’s in the cargo hold.

The move to containerized shipping had an amazing impact on the global economy. As Levinson says, “A machine manufactured on Monday can be dropped at Port Newark on Tuesday and delivered in Stuttgart, Germany, in less time than it once would have taken to be loaded aboard a ship.” He cites one study that says the container system reduced freight rates from Asia to North America by 40 to 60 percent. At the same time, it also led to job losses at ports, since greater efficiency meant you could move more freight with fewer dock workers.

For Bay Area residents, a visit to Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland is highly recommended. And when near any port around the world, take a moment to let the majesty of the scene and realize the far reaching impact the industry has on our daily lives.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/10/06/the-majestic-cranes-and-ships-of-the-port-of-oakland/feed/0Apurva DesaiDSC00710Oakland Crane 1Oakland Crane 2Oakland Crane 3DSC00674DSC00668DSC00672America’s Cup: A Gorgeous Day in the San Francisco Bayhttps://apurvadesai.com/2013/09/15/americas-cup-a-gorgeous-day-in-the-san-francisco-bay/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/09/15/americas-cup-a-gorgeous-day-in-the-san-francisco-bay/#respondSun, 15 Sep 2013 21:40:47 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2566]]>The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in sports, dating back to 1851. It pits the worlds best yachting teams with state of the art catamaran boats. This year, the America’s Cup finals are being held in my backyard, being held in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area from September 7 to September 21.

I was fortunate enough to spend a day on the bay and experience the America’s cup as a spectator with the best seat in the house. The Kiwis of New Zealand decisively won both races of the day against the Americas, stacking the odds against Team Oracle coming back for victory. The day started out gray and gloomy but in the afternoon the sun emerged and a beautiful day unfolded. A great setting to apply my photography interests. I managed to get some great photos of the boats, the bay, the bridges, Alcatrez and the skyline.

Team Oracle and Alcatrez

Fly Emirates and Golden Gate Bridge

Old Bay Bridge and New Bay Bridge

Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/09/15/americas-cup-a-gorgeous-day-in-the-san-francisco-bay/feed/0Apurva DesaiDSC00703DSC00685DSC00698DSC00705DSC00691DSC00682DSC00680DSC00679An EPL Franchise in New York?https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/18/an-epl-franchise-in-new-york/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/18/an-epl-franchise-in-new-york/#commentsSun, 18 Aug 2013 19:51:02 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2542]]>Here in August 2013, it feels like there is unprecedented promotion, clamor, and attention for the English Premier League in the US.

Defending EPL champion Manchester United’s season opener is being shown nationally in the US this weekend and live matches are being shown throughout the season. This, of course, is all based on NBC sports securing the US broadcast rights for the EPL for $250M, arguably the world’s most popular soccer league. Some recent promotion by NBC includes:

To me, a missing part of these stories seems to be a natural question. When will the EPL create a new permanent franchise in the US? As soccer continues in popularity in the US as those articles attest and the promotion of the EPL of a wanting population suggest, an evaluation of that question is certainly happening or soon will happen. And New York would be the natural location for such a franchise. Why would this make sense?

Money, Money, Money– If there is demand for entertainment in the US, there is inevitably the money to fund it. There will be potential owners that would pay the EPL significant sums of money to join the league. A potential windfall could await the EPL.

Soccer momentum is building– While there have been false starts before about soccer’s ability to stick in the US, momentum continues to build. The American youth of the 80’s and 90’s that grew up playing soccer are now adults in the prime demographics for entertainment and advertisers which will propel that momentum to the next level. The sustained accessibility to leagues like the EPL through NBC and wall to wall coverage of the World Cup will enhance soccer’s standing over the next few years.

Hockey and Baseball are in decline– Hockey has become a niche sport, and while it has a 10 year, $200M annual deal with NBC, as a sports fan, it’s rare to find regular season hockey on national TV. Baseball has been eclipsed by football as America’s pastime and has anecdotally been losing popularity with the younger demographic, with its slower pace not fully resonating with the faster, on the go society of today and continues to struggle with impact of steroids in the game. There seems to be an opportunity for that void to be partially filled by soccer.

Americans Like the Best– Americans want to be considered the best. I feel the MLS hasn’t been fully embraced in the US because Americans know its quality isn’t truly world class. The NFL, NBA, MLB—those are clearly the best leagues in the world in their respective sports. Americans expect their sports teams to be competing with the highest caliber . The EPL is arguably the premier league in the world and likely the most popular. Americans will embrace an American team in the best league in the world.

Globalization of Sports– We’re seeing this trend happen throughout sports. The NFL plays regular season games in London each year and the tea leaves certainly suggest the NFL may have a permanent franchise in London in the next 5 years. Major League Baseball plays regular season games in Japan, cricket stars in Australia and South Africa participate in Indian cricket leagues, and an MLS franchise for 2015 has already been approved which is a joint investment of Manchester City of the EPL and the New York Yankees baseball club. League teams outside of the league’s home country are going to increasingly start to happen.

New York and National Pride– After 9/11, New York has taken on a galvanizing role for American loyalty and patriotism. While there is certainly regional pride when it comes to sports, if there is one US city that could house the single league team for a sport, it’s New York. Americans would rally around New York and make that EPL team America’s team.

Add Toronto for Logistics– Since EPL teams typically play one game a week, a 7 hour flight from England to New York doesn’t feel untenable. NFL teams regularly make the East Coast to West Coast 5 hour flight as part of their once a week schedules. To alleviate any concerns about the travel, the League could consider adding a 2nd New York team or a Toronto team and have the UK teams spend two weeks in the US and Canada east coast before returning to the UK. Toronto could similarly be Canada’s national team for premier soccer.

Of course, there are complications that would have to be overcome.

US soccer perception on EPL fans– EPL fans across the world today don’t see the US as top flight soccer and may feel adding a US team would reduce the premier status of the league. However, I’m not suggesting the New York team be made of only Americans. There would be no requirement of minimum number of American players, it could be even zero Americans and all Europeans. This would be a world class team with some of the best players in the world. If that means no Americans, so be it. Americans want to see and feel the energy of the best.

US World Cup Success or Lack of Success – There often has been a feeling that the US Men’s National Team would need to win or come close to win the World Cup before soccer could really take off in the US. Well, the US won’t be winning the World Cup anytime soon. But I think that’s not necessary for enough demand to be in place to support a New York EPL team. The access and commitment from NBC, additional coverage of European cup and European championships on ESPN, and the mere presence of the US in World Cup events will create the demand.

EPL’s Delegation Rules- The EPL has unique meritocracy where the bottom performing teams in the league get relegated to first division leagues while top performing teams in first division leagues get promoted to the EPL. For a single American franchise, there won’t be appetite to follow a team in the First Division after a large investment to get into the EPL. As stated before, for EPL to work in the US, Americans will be celebrating the fact that they are competing and watching the best. But the rest of the EPL wouldn’t stand for their teams to have the relegation risk each season while the American team wouldn’t have that risk. Ultimately, I think an expansion American team would get an exemption from relegation for at least the first 5 years as they build up their franchise and roster. I would also suspect that the American team will be a high spending franchise (the EPL’s salary cap rules are quite murky) which would keep them in the top 3/4 of teams after the 5 year exemption period.

MLS- The MLS is today’s top US soccer league, with its first season in 1996. After 17 years of development and investment, the US soccer establishment won’t be eager to throw all of the blood, sweat, and tears away and watch a single EPL franchise come in and grab the nation’s attention, and relegate the MLS as second class or even a a failure. But if its clear that having an EPL franchise in New York is what fans demand, the economics are there, and it will help the sport grow and prosper in the US, I think US soccer will find a way to reconcile both investments. There may be a way where the top players from the MLS get promoted to the EPL franchise. Possibly, the relegation/promotion decision of the American franchise would be with the MLS at large. If the New York franchise gets relegated, the top MLS team gets promoted. This will be a difficult issue to reconcile as the MLS has the support of the US Soccer Federation. Certainly thorny, but ultimately, I think the money will talk and a way to reconcile will be found.

I think we’ll see an EPL franchise in New York in 7 years. I also feel the NFL will have a franchise in London in those same 7 years. Perhaps, the two leagues work together and have cross investments in each others leagues. The globalization of sports is a trend that is building across the world and the money in sports is just to large to ignore cross border opportunities. 7 years- let’s see what happens!

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/18/an-epl-franchise-in-new-york/feed/1Apurva DesaiBarclay's Premier Leaguenbc-nyc-boroughs-epl-600x600 (1)liverpool-nbc-subway-car-600x450One Day in Bangkok (plus Two Nights in Hua Hin)https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/10/a-day-in-bangkok-plus-two-nights-in-hua-hin/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/10/a-day-in-bangkok-plus-two-nights-in-hua-hin/#commentsSun, 11 Aug 2013 07:52:53 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2526]]>A few years back, I made a weekend trip with employees from my company’s India office to Thailand as a reward for meeting company goals. We went to the resort town of Hua Hin for two days and nights and spent the following day in Bangkok.

This post is way over due, but it was most certainly an enjoyable trip. Following are pictures and observations from a fun filled Thai weekend.

Hua Hin

Hua Hin is a resort, beach town similar to resorts you may see around the world. The hotel resort itself created a tropical, aesthically striking scene, although a bit unnatural, much like a river view right outside of the beach and ocean front.

At the beach, tourists from Thailand and around the world frolicked on the beachfront and in the ocean, enjoying the sunny weather. A slight breeze helped create a respite from the hot, humid Thai weather. One memorable scene from the beach were locals on horses on early morning rides.

Hua Hin has a nice street market, full of shopping, food and seafood vendors, and trinket shops and restaurants geared to both locals and tourists. The fruits and seafood were especially impressive, particularly the sweet pineapple and giant prawns. A highlight dinner of prawns and Thai Singha and Chang beer.

Bangkok

After two days in Hua Hin, our group of near 200 Indians went to Bangkok for one day and one night. A new learning for me was that the primary purpose for Indians to go to Thailand is to go shopping for electronics. Apparently, televisions, phones, and tablets are much less expensive in Thailand than India. The itinerary for the day was almost exclusively devoted to shopping at malls targeting Indians. Clothing, luggage, and especially electronics were plentiful. For me, however, shopping wasn’t of interest and I broke from the group to go see a few tourist sites.

It was a rainy day, a Thai holiday, which left only a few prominent tourist sites up. First up, the Grand Palace.

Exquisite, unmistakable carvings adorned the Grand Palace.

Inside and outside the palace, Buddhist monks were present in glowing orange gowns.

Indeed, a very familiar pose.

After a day at the Grand Palace, I enjoyed a fantastic dinner in Chinatown with the family of one my colleagues from Bangkok. Some of the best Chinese food I’ve ever had turns out to be in Thailand.

Some additional observations from my three days in Thailand.

The Thai people are very friendly and hospitable. Often smiling, it’s a joy to be around the Thai people.

During the nearly three hour drive from Hua Hin to Bangkok, the roads and infrastructure were excellent. The drive reminded me of the drive in Kauia, Hawaii and Merida, Mexico. With no experience with Thailand, I found myself comparing Thailand to my Asia point of reference of India. Thailand’s roads, driving decorum, and order are miles ahead of India.

The mall in Bangkok looked and felt like a mall anywhere else in the world- similar to a mall in Munich, Hyderabad, or the suburbs of San Francisco.

The shopping experience in Bangkok was much more relaxed than similar experiences in Beijing or in India. Vendors in those cities are much more aggressive.

Overall, a very enjoyable weekend in Thailand, a precursor to a later, longer more immersive trip. Not sure when, but a highly anticipated trip for the future.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/10/a-day-in-bangkok-plus-two-nights-in-hua-hin/feed/2Apurva DesaiDelhi and Thailand 088Delhi and Thailand 085Delhi and Thailand 049Delhi and Thailand 051Delhi and Thailand 061Delhi and Thailand 068Delhi and Thailand 163Delhi and Thailand 186Delhi and Thailand 144Delhi and Thailand 147Delhi and Thailand 141Delhi and Thailand 159Delhi and Thailand 171Delhi and Thailand 197Delhi and Thailand 123These Days were Made for Twitterhttps://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/08/these-days-were-made-for-twitter/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/08/these-days-were-made-for-twitter/#respondThu, 08 Aug 2013 13:04:53 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2491]]>In the last 3 and half months, we’ve all had what I call Twitter days. Glorious Twitter days. Real life events that spur a frenzy of Twitter activity which just draws and sucks you in for sometimes good and sometimes bad reasons. Times where you are constantly hitting the refresh button on Twitter to:

See the next insight

Learn the newest detail

Have the next laugh

Share in the disbelief

Grieve with the world

Experience the drama

Join in the awe and amazement.

These were the glorious Twitter days I experienced:

April 15, 2013:Boston Marathon Bombing– A horrific day that unfolded real-time on Twitter, first with details of the blasts, followed by the police search and chase of the terrorists, speculation and misidentification of the bombers, and finally the capture of the remaining living terrorist. Disbelief, Captivating Drama and Extreme Sadness rolled into a hectic few days.

June 18, 2013: Miracle Miami Heat NBA finals win against San Antonio Spurs– The mighty Miami Heat, starring of course Lebron James, were down and out, a few seconds away from falling to the Spurs in the NBA finals. A miraculous 3 pointer gave the Heat an improbable and historic victory and spared Lebron an avalanche of criticism and venom about his character and legacy. Sports fans in my Twitter timeline were dumbfounded and in awe of what they just witnessed

June 25, 2013: Wendy Davis filibusters the Texas Senate- What starts out as a local story in Texas turns into a national social media phenomenon when Davis, a Texas state senator famously wearing pink shoes, holds a ten hour long filibuster to block legislation that would create new abortion regulations in Texas. As midnight approached, drama erupted as Republicans claim filibuster rules were violated, vocal protestors filled the physical state senate, and confusion reigns on whether a vote actually. Admiration and Anticipation filled Twitter timelines across the country.

July 5, 2013:NBA Free Agency; The Dwightmare finally ends– The NBA’s silly season of free agency was abuzz on Twitter with scoop after scoop by NBA journalists with the latest on the recruitment of Dwight Howard; the flipping and flopping, confirmation and then contradictory alternate report led to at times comical but alluring real time play by play of the future of many NBA teams.

July 6, 2013: Asiana Airlines crash at SFO- The shocking crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport played out real time on Twitter. Initial reports and pictures were posted by passenger David Eun, a Samsung executive, on photo sharing site Path, and then spread like wild fire through the Twitterverse. Living near SFO and being able to see the airport from my home, but being out of town that day, the story took an added level of disbelief and shock for me.

July 11, 2013: Sharknado Airs- I’ve yet to see this movie originally airing on Syfy channel , but the mixture of tornados and sharks shook Twitter that night. Apparently, comically bad, it’s now hit epic cult like status spurred by the reaction on Twitter that night.

These events can range from extreme tragedy like the Boston Marathon bombings to extreme silliness like Sharknado. Some of the events are niche events that only a subset of whom I follow would appreciate and some so mainstream that all niches will take note and comment.. In any case, its days like these that its clear to me that Twitter has transformed how I experience mainstream events, and that way will be here to stay.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/08/these-days-were-made-for-twitter/feed/0Apurva DesaiWikipedia, Google, then Twitter- is this the new Search Framework?https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/wikipedia-google-then-twitter-the-new-search-framework/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/wikipedia-google-then-twitter-the-new-search-framework/#respondSat, 03 Aug 2013 13:46:02 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2474]]>It just dawned on me the other day that I now have a new search framework for specific topics I want to know more about (information only, not commerce search). It has become a three pronged approach, and surprisingly Google only plays the primary role in 1 of the 3 steps

Step 1: For a topic I don’t know much about, Step 1 typically leads to Wikipedia. I may do a Google Search, but Wikipedia is often among the first 1 or 2 results and the one either by habit or trust, I’ll go to first to get the background on the topic. Sometimes I’ll go straight to Wikipedia, sometimes I’ll do a Google search, but I’ll end up at Wikipedia.

Step 2: After getting the background on the topic, I may go back to the Google results to see a recent article about it or add an additional, more specific qualifier to the topic to narrow the scope. Usually, the results are from within a few weeks or months and from a media site or a blogger written in an article form. This will give me more recent context on the basic background I learned from Wikipedia.

Step 3: To read what people are actually saying about the topic today or at the time, I’ll go to Twitter to do a search. Short snippets in 140 characters, it will give me a generally more real-time, collective view of the sentiment of what I’d consider the mainstream.

Here’s a recent example. I happened to be flipping through the channels while watching television and I ended up on a documentary on the late rapper Tupac Shakur. I caught in mid-program an interview with Shakur when he was alive talking about his time in jail and a friendship that formed with actor Tony Danza. An unexpected, delicious side note to the documentary that piqued my interest and something I’d want to share with others.

I went online and did a search on Tupac and ended up on Wikipedia and learned when he was in jail and why exactly he was in jail. I had forgotten and wanted that baseline knowledge.

Then I looked at articles where Danza talks about his pen pal friendship with Tupac; these articles were written after the documentary aired to highlight an unknown and unexpected friendship between two seemingly opposite, far flung people. The article cites quotes directly from Danza talking about their friendship.

Then I went to Twitter to see what others were saying about this; this most certainly had to be unexpected and ironic to others just like it had been to me. And of course, there it was, tweet after tweet, dialogue by mainstream people and fans commenting on the surprise and total delight on such an unexpected friendship. This gave me confirmation on the sentiment of this particular topic.

So, here’s my 3 pronged Search Framework in Summary:

1.

Wikipedia- Establish Baseline knowledge

2.

Google- Further Context from Professionally written recent, but not always real-time, articles

3.

Twitter- Often Real time Confirmation and Sentiment from Today’s Mainstream.

Google can’t be satisfied with being only in the middle of the three steps. They want to keep users engaged on their properties for as long as possible. The longer they have engaged users, the more relevant ads they can serve to their users, and the more they will know about the interests and behaviors of their users.

Google already shows their own Wikipedia type search result for topics on the Google search page on the right, although a Wikipedia link is often the first result on the left. Here’s what a Tupac Shakur search on Google looks like:

I’m sure this is to keep users away from Wikipedia—for me, this generally hasn’t happened, but in some basic searches it has kept me on Google and away from Wikipedia. The third step for Google is much harder; Twitter is a now an established media channel on its own, Google can’t easily replicate this. Twitter used to allow Tweets to show up in Google search results, but no longer (although there are ways to add that capability to Google.) Twitter is gearing up for an IPO and appears to be on an independent path. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Google actually pays the billions to acquire Twitter and integrate this element of search directly into Google. It would be expensive, a recent valuation of Twitter has it $10 billion. That’s a large price to pay and something they ought to have done much earlier if they were to do it. But it’s certainly something they will have to consider if this framework increasingly becomes a default search system of the Internet.

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/wikipedia-google-then-twitter-the-new-search-framework/feed/0Apurva DesaiimageimageimageWkipediaGoogletwitterimageThe Angel Investor Professional Athlete; is that the new Bay Area Trend?https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/the-angel-investor-professional-athlete-is-that-the-new-bay-area-trend/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/the-angel-investor-professional-athlete-is-that-the-new-bay-area-trend/#respondSat, 03 Aug 2013 13:01:12 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2455]]>After one of their best seasons in recent history which culminated in a surprising NBA playoff run and Western Conference semi-final appearance, the exciting times just keep on rolling for the Golden State Warriors, the San Francisco Bay Area’s NBA team.

The positive momentum has continued through this offseason where the Warriors emerged as a serious contender for free agent center, Dwight Howard, considered the best free agent in this season’s class. To even have a shot to sign Howard or any other star free agent, the Warriors had to free up significant cap space by trading what were viewed originally as untradeable, undesirable contracts of veteran players, Richard Jefferson and Andres Biedrins. Miraculously, the Warriors front office managed to pull off such a trade by tying future draft picks and the expiring contracts of Jefferson and Biedrins to the rebuilding Utah Jazz. This added financial flexibility allowed the Warriors to perform their greatest coup of the offseason. While the world saw that Warriors focused on their improbable quest for Howard, they stealthily became the suitor of choice for another top free agent, former US Olympian and NBA All-Star, Andre Iguodala. While not as heralded as Howard, Iguadola offered many of the characteristics they need to propel themselves to the next level— an elite defender, efficient finisher at the basket, and capable ball handler. Iguodala even took less money to sign with the Warriors than what was offered by his existing team, Denver Nuggets or another suitor, Sacramento Kings. Iguodala really wanted to play in the Bay! An impressive signing capping off an equally impressive offseason for Golden State GM Bob Myers. Now, the next part of this story is what really interests me.

In interviews after signing with Golden State, Iguodala made the following statements as captured by Warriors beat writer Marcus Thompson, in this San Jose Mercury News group article:

And, to be sure, Iguodala has his eye on the bay area’s business possibilities.

“I talked to Joe (Lacob) extensively about the business side and the market and the Silicon Valley area,” said Iguodala, who interned with a Merrill Lynch venture capitalist during the 2011 NBA lockout.

That statement is the first time I can remember in 13 years of living in the Bay Area that a free agent in any of the professional sports signed with a Bay Area team with that as one of his reasons. With the prominence of Silicon Valley in news reports, the global exposure and scope of social media like Facebook and Twitter, the glorification of the startup scene in movies like the Social Network, the Silicon Valley is getting significant mainstream attention. While I may be reading into that statement a bit more than what it really means, I believe the long-term business benefit of being here may becoming apparent to athletes like Iguadola, just as they have to entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, and other dreamers.

We’ve often heard of how athletes are interested in signing with Los Angeles teams to take advantage of the proximity of the Entertainment industry. In LA, star athletes can seamlessly join the celebrity culture, make cameo movie and television performances, increase their personal brand, and help set themselves up for post playing career opportunities.

In Silicon Valley, the opportunities are much less obvious and visible—they include being an investor in new technologies, connecting their name to growing Internet brands, and having access to entrepreneurs. This isn’t going to appeal to the majority of athletes, but for a small sub-set, I think it will. Internet companies and startups have become sexy; you already hear of celebrity investors in startups such as Ashton Kutcher (whose investment firm A-Grade has invested in Foursquare, Spotify, Airbnb), Justin Timberlake (part owner of MySpace with Specific Media), and Lady Gaga (investor in Backplane with Google’s Eric Schmidt). It would be natural for athletes to have similar attraction. The success of Magic Johnson in his post playing days as a prominent business man from everything from Starbucks to movie houses, I’m sure hasn’t been missed by today’s progressive professional athlete like Iguadola. With a key difference being, in today’s world, an athlete with new found money, it’s become a lot more exciting to be part of the next Facebook or Twitter, or associate his brand with a Zynga game, than build up wealth by putting up a few coffee houses or burger joints. Now in Iguodala’s case, Joe Lacob, the owner of the Warriors, is a prominent VC in the Bay Area. He undoubtedly offered up his connections with both leading VCs and known companies to help intice Iguodala to select the Warriors. Of course, getting a chance to play with the sweet shooting Stephen Curry and rising stars Harrison Barnes and Klay Thompson was certainly the primary reason to play here, but being connected to the Silicon Valley, SF startup scene, and Digital Media opportunities of the Bay Area clearly helped. A trend for the future. I fully expect to see more free agents tout the proximity of the Internet and technology scene as a reason to come here and no doubt, we’ll see some of them pop up on AngelList as the newest Bay Area Angel Investor!

]]>https://apurvadesai.com/2013/08/03/the-angel-investor-professional-athlete-is-that-the-new-bay-area-trend/feed/0Apurva DesaiWarriors 2Warriors 3Andre IguadolaAndrew Iguodala 2If it’s not on the Internet, did it really happen?https://apurvadesai.com/2013/06/24/if-its-not-on-the-internet-did-it-really-happen/
https://apurvadesai.com/2013/06/24/if-its-not-on-the-internet-did-it-really-happen/#commentsMon, 24 Jun 2013 10:04:17 +0000http://apurvadesai.wordpress.com/?p=2441]]>As we hit the summer of 2013, it dawned on me this is the 20th anniversary of a national conference I helped organize in the summer of 1993. The National Asian Indian Sammelan in Dayton, Ohio was a conference for young Asian Indian American adults, mostly age 18-34, exploring professional, personal, and life issues that this coming of age group was beginning to face. Generally, the audience of this conference was second generation Americans, whose parents had immigrated to the US in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This group was often the first set of young Asian Indian Americans who had been born and raised in the US, were recent high school or college graduates, and were beginning to face critical decisions such as career choice and marriage options.

While I certainly have some memories of the event, I can’t remember all of the details such as the names of some of the distinguished speakers, the facilitator leaders, and the full span of workshop topics. So, with most things one wants to learn more about in this era of the Internet, I did a search on Google. Much to my surprise, there is not a single search result that showed up for this event! Of course, there wasn’t a pervasive Internet in 1993 when the event happened, but it seems most everything even prior to the world wide web has some archive stored on the Internet. Shouldn’t there be an electronic copy of the program or a list of speakers somewhere on the web? Wouldn’t a few of the speakers have the conference listed by their name on their Linkedin profile or online bio that shows up in a search result? Unfortunately and disappointingly, the answer appears to be no.

This made me think of the proverbial cliche: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound”? Likewise, if an event has no record of it on the Internet, could it actually of happened? Well, of course, I know it in fact happened, but in this day and age, I bet I’d have trouble convincing that to some folks who don’t know of the event and would rely fully on the Internet for confirmation.

And furthermore, when thinking of the event itself, it seems almost inconceivable that such an event could have even been organized without the Internet. Today, the outreach to prospective speakers, recruitment of attendees to the event, and interaction with vendors, venue, and city leaders would all be heavily reliant on the Internet. The organization of the event itself by the dispersed conference committee would have have utilized the Internet for communication, tracking progress of tasks, and even for selecting and playing the music used at the event.

The pervasiveness of today’s Internet is certainly reinforced when thinking of this event. Given that pervasiveness, I’ve got one ulterior motive in writing this post, establishing a permanent record in the search engines of the event, the National Asian Indian Sammelan, Dayton, Ohio, 1993. Hopefully, soon after this post is written, no one else can write a post suggesting no record of the event!